ASOIAF - Chapter 1 Part 2

- Narrator -

The absence of the howling winds was already an improvement, Aragorn noted, as he slowly woke up, struggling to reacclimate himself to the baffling reality of conscious experience. The fire he'd kept on the stove was long extinguished having run out of fuel. He knew it was a bad idea to leave it unattended, but burning alive seemed like a better idea than freezing to death at the time.

The dire circumstances he found himself in prevented him from understanding the changes he went through once he came to this world, and now that the storm was out of the way, he could study them in peace. But before that...

* DING *

< Quest Complete: Surviving the storm >

< Rewards >

< #1: Cold Resistance >

< #2: +1 WIL >

< [Cold Resistance (Passive)] LVL 1 >

+ 5 % Resistance to cold temperatures.

+ 5 % Resistance to Frostbite.

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'Not bad... Cold Resistance will be very useful in this environment.' Aragorn thought with a satisfied smile. 'Though upgrading the skill won't be fun...'

< Status >

Name : Xenon

Age : 17

Class : Warrior (Level : 20 | Progress : 0/100)

Profession : Alchemist (Level : 1 | Progress : 0/10)

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Stamina (SP) : 450/450

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STR : 75

DEX : 75

CON : 40

VIT : 30

END : 50

CHA : 33

WIL : 41

INT : 25

WIS : 18

LUK : 12

Unused Stat Points: 0

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The new stat, VITality, drew his attention immediately. The concept of vitality was rather vague and abstract, and while it is hard for anybody to truly grasp it, Aragorn eventually concluded it had to do with the new changes world-traveling brought with it, namely the Class and Profession he now had access to, and the skills that came with it.

< Class: Warrior >

A class placing emphasis on physical strength and body endurance.

Main Stats: STR, VIT

Secondary Stats: DEX, WIL

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It was undoubtedly an improvement in the System if it was now explaining things to him instead of letting him guesstimate everything himself.

< [Aura Manipulation. (Passive)] LVL 1 >

Warriors rely on their Aura-force, a peculiar manifestation of their life-force. It holds deeply rooted secrets to a unique power of infinite potential.

Proficiency in manipulating Aura-force.

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'And there it is...' Aragorn's attention was drawn to the term Life-Force, another concept he had no clue about. Evidently, he was no stranger to the term, as it had been present in the various works of fiction he'd read about before, but he had no explanation that was just that... fiction. But a link was clearly formed in his brain between the term and the new stat, Life-force, and Vitality. This signifies that in order to increase the potency of his Aura, he would have to increase his vitality. How he would go about that was another issue...

Aragorn had been wondering in what way would the system screw him over, as it made it clear when he upgraded his first skill (Empowered Strike) to [Empower]. He didn't need to think for longer though, as he noticed the problem as soon as he took out his list of skills... He no longer had [Empower] as a skill.

It wasn't a big issue, however, as he still vividly remembers the way 'Aura', or what he used to call 'energy' for simplicity, circulated when using the skill, as he did the job himself. Regrettably, his hopes would be dashed away as soon as he tried...

He focused on the same well of aura he'd been feeling for months, drawing it out into his right hand, but it didn't go as smoothly as he would've liked... It was chaotic and inconsistent, like trying to fill a glass with honey, a viscous substance compared to water. It was uneven, and in fact, did more damage than it did any good, as he felt the painful effects firsthand, prompting him to stop immediately. Pulling up his sleeve, he noticed a bluish patch on his skin, making him grimace.

He also found out that he had more feelings associated with this 'Aura', things he could not feel about it before, as if he had been disconnected from it the whole time he used it before. He concluded it must be the system's 'Easy Difficulty', the same way he had no control over [Empowered Strike]. But he found solace in the fact that [Empower] was exceedingly powerful compared to its younger alternative, meaning he had a lot of untapped potential concerning Aura. But one thing they had in common: it was far easier to move aura when under [Meditation].

He prepared his meal and had a hearty breakfast. Then he sat down in the wooden cave, and regulated his breathing before entering a meditative state, doing his best to circulate his Aura to increase his control over it. He knew it won't be fast, and it definitely won't be easy, but over time patience had become one of his virtues...

- Lagertha -

God's trials had just passed, a joyous occasion to say the least for any of her tribesmen and tribeswomen to be alive, a source of pride for all of them. It is also a time when the gods would reward their perseverance, by blessing all of their endeavors. In fact, this is a prime time for copulation as per their traditions, which usually makes the place uncomfortable for single men and women, including herself. This is why many of them go out of their place to hunt, instead of staying there listening to the muffled cries of pleasure coming from every corner, especially from those without shame that make no effort to hold their moans. Funnily enough, Lagertha would later find out that it was all a scheme by the village elders to push the younglings outside to hunt for them, one that had been working for generations without fail.

"There ain't no fuckin' game in 'ere..." A boy in her group complained, not being very experienced in hunting if his patience was to go by.

"What'd we tell you 'bout patience, Svedol. You ain't never gonna get no game with that attitude of yous." Another boy laughed at him.

"Yea, yea... While we're freezing our balls off here, people are having a blast back in the tents!" He added, looking angry at the injustice.

"Aye... I'd rather be there with a woman too... But it is what it is..." His friends chuckled wryly.

"That's it! I'm stealing Asla next time I see her!" Svedol promised passionately, only to be rebutted by Lagerhta.

"Oi! Keep your fuckin' mouths shut, you're scaring away our prey." She admonished them, before turning back to focus on the road.

"Psst, why don't ya try your luck at that one..." Svedol's friend held back his laughter as he said that, getting a hateful glare from the boy in question.

'It wasn't for the lack of trying...' Lagertha smirked to herself, having heard their whispers clearly. Lagertha was no ordinary girl, being 5'11 despite her young age. Her tall frame gave her a significant boost in strength, even when compared to her male peers, reducing her biological disadvantage as much as possible. Coupled with her long years of training and constant honing of her skills and talents in fighting, she was an absolute nightmare to whoever had the misfortune of being at the other end of her bony sword. Her blonde hair was braided on the sides of her head, with a ponytail she liked to keep on her shoulder, to avoid anyone using it against her and catching her off guard.

She walked with a confidence that had been nurtured through the years by constantly living on the edge, something every one of her tribesmen and tribeswomen experienced, therefore she was unafraid of anything life would throw at her, even death itself. The only thing she feared was her own weakness, an ever-present reminder to push forward, get better, faster, stronger, as this world had no place for the weak.

- To be continued -